2022 Global Leaders in Consulting: Suketu Gandhi

Suketu Gandhi grew up in Mumbai, India. After earning a bachelor and master's degree in computer systems engineering from the University of Arkansas, Suketu worked as a systems engineer for a major global retailer, and developed software before pivoting into the world of start-ups and management consulting during the dotcom boom of the late 1990s. Suketu works with global clients in the consumer, luxury and retail industries, applying his digital, and supply chain expertise. He worked at Diamond Cluster and Deloitte before joining Kearney in 2014. Suketu has lived in Chicago for the past 27 years with his wife, two daughters, and son-in-law. Suketu is currently the Global Co-Head of Kearney's Strategic Operations with a focus on creating a global network of experts, capabilities, and tools to design and build customer-driven resilient supply chains.

What do you consider your greatest personal or professional achievement?

Being married to my wonderful wife for 28 years.

What advice would you give a professional just beginning a career in consulting?

Be kind when providing advice. A lot of ideas are out there, but there is a shortage of experts who understand the day-to-day situation in which a senior client operates.

What have you loved most about your consulting career?

Working with a large variety of clients across industries that find multiple different ways to build or operate large global enterprises.

What is the best advice—personal or professional—you've ever received?

Find the hardest problems that have the highest payoff – this way, the focus is on value, not on obstacles

What does being honored as a Global Leader mean to you? 

I joined consulting to work on clients' hardest problems and to find solutions that work, ranging from building corporate-funded startups to redesigning supply chains for $125 billion companies.

As with all things, I will start with clients. The global supply chain challenges clients face today are complex, and the areas of growth are diverse. When selecting a Consulting partner, clients have many choices, and it can be difficult for new clients to efficiently judge the art and science of consulting. Receiving the imprimatur from Consulting Magazine as a Global Leader provides a strong initial choice set for clients, and instills a high degree of confidence from CxOs today.

This recognition is also valuable in attracting the best talent for Kearney. The critical engine in any consulting firm are teams that develop new ideas, and bring them to life for clients. We at Kearney firmly believe that the highest-performing teams are a diverse coalition of the willing, and to build these coalitions we as leaders need to have market credibility with clients and the profession.